[Life] Guido the Gull

(Puppy is not feeling so good after her vaccinations. Vet assures me this is normal for this round of shots. Here's hoping she feels better soon.)

So today when I went out to lunch, I ended up discovering that my neighborhood has been invaded. That's right, invaded. By a well-organized group of mobsters, no less.

As I made my way down the front walk, I heard the distinctive cry of a seagull. Now, we're only two blocks from the water, so this isn't TOO unusual, though they tend to frequent the real waterfront, not the canal and Cut. But I glance up.

The biggest seagull I've ever seen is perched atop the roof of a house across the street from me, wings spread, glaring down. A moment later, another seagull joins it. They're giving me this look which clearly translates to, "Give us the food you carry, human, or we will poop on your car."

I ignore them, and walk on. A moment later, I hear another gull cry behind me. I turn around. There are now four of them, and they're slowly walking along the sidewalk behind me... watching me. Very, very intently.

I can almost hear the "lovely coat ya gots dere... be a shame if anyting wuz ta poop on it."

I fish the rice cakes I carry in my coat pocket (treats for Claire, since the vet approved them as doggy-safe) out, and toss them at the gulls. Appeased, they turn their attention to the food, and I go on my way.

That said, I was sorting through my comics today, and I found one you might like to borrow and read. For one thing, aside from a wonderful sense of storytelling, it has a very interesting portrayal of dragons in it. The world in this story is somewhat like a giant cookie, but is always growing. Dragons are responsible for keeping the world in balance; they stalk around the edges of the world and eat the world as it gets too big.

Because of this, people -- who don't understand that without the dragons the world would get too big and crumble and that the dragons keep the world functioning -- fear and hate them. Only one dragon plays a significant role in the story, but it makes for darn interesting background and world setting.